England and Australia face each other in a three-match ODI series, after the completion of the T20I series which was won by England. However, it was the Australian team that maintained their position at the top, courtesy their win in the final game at Southampton. The three ODIs will be played at Manchester with the first game to be played on Friday, September 11. All matches start at 5.30 pm IST.
England, the defending world champions in 50-over cricket are at number one in the ICC rankings, while Australia are placed fifth at the moment.
This is the first time that England are playing in the fifty-over format since the 2019 World Cup. While, for the Australian team, this is their very first cricket assignment since the lockdown.
Both Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler who did not play the final T20I against Australia will be available for the first game. England thus can field a full-strength squad upon their return. There are no injury concerns in the England camp as well with all the players fully match-fit. Therefore it is expected that England will field their strongest XI for the first game.
The Australian team will look at the series as an opportunity to put all the mistakes aside and put their best foot forward. With the given players, the Aussies would also like to field their strongest possible XI and ensure that they perform and help them win the series. Also on their mind will be thought of improving their current rankings.
The teams are very similar in terms of strength, however, England will have the edge heading into the series courtesy their T20I series win.
Also Read: IPL 2020 Full Coverage
Date and Venue: England vs Australia, 1st ODI at Old Trafford, Manchester on September 11 (Friday) at 5.30 PM IST
Weather and Pitch Conditions
The pitch in Manchester has been historically assisting the pacers. It provides considerable seam and swing movement for quality bowlers. Given that both sides have quality bowlers in their ranks, the contest between bat and bat is expected to be an even one.
It rained the last time when England played the West Indies in Manchester. Therefore rain is always a threat which might play a spoilsport in the series. However, fans from both sides would expect that ran does not roughen up an event contest between two quality teams.
England vs Australia 1st ODI – Match Prediction
Given that England won the T20I series, they will be confident of following the same process aiming to win the first game. However, Australia as an opponent can never be counted out, especially with them losing a series.
There is a big chance that Australia might come back strong and get the better of England on the matchday. Still, England are slightly ahead in the contest.
Also Read: England Include Jason Roy in ODI Squad For Australia Series
Squads
England
Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Reserves: Dawid Malan, Phil Salt, Saqib Mahmood
Australia
Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa